What Сouchsurfing Is and How It Works

In this article, we will tell you what couchsurfing is and how safe and advantageous it is for travelers. You will also learn how to use couchsurfing to get the best impressions from your trip to another country.

Couchsurfing: what it is

Couchsurfing is an international tourism movement that unites hospitable people who love to travel. Literally, "couchsurfing" ‎means as "moving from couch to couch" . Travelers go to each other's houses, have cool experiences, and leave reviews about each other on Couchsurfing.

The history of couchsurfing began in 2000, when Casey Feighton, an American, bought a plane ticket to Iceland. He was on a tight budget, so he wrote letters to local students asking them to suggest where he could find cheap accommodation to see the country. But he was offered much more—free accommodation. In addition, they showed him an unusual side of Iceland––not glossy, but real and alive. Feyton was so impressed that he decided to promote the story on the Internet. Like-minded people were quickly found. Today, the online service Couchsurfing unites 14 million people from all over the world. Lovers of new experiences and outdoor activities enjoy using it.

How couchsurfing works

Registration on Couchsurfing is allowed for people aged 18 and older. Basic registration and search are free. To confirm your data and get access to all the features of the system, you will have to pay $60. For more convenient work with the system, you can use the mobile application with the same name.

It is not only free accommodation that can be found on Couchsurfing. It can be a tour of the city or a joint trip to local bars.

The host is called a host, and the person looking for lodging is called a surfer.

Once you understand how Couchsurfing works, move on to finding a suitable option.

A surfer should pay attention to the following:

• the number of reviews—there should be at least 10–20;
• the number of people this host can accept at one time;
• the date of his last visit to the site;
• living conditions;
• if there is a language barrier.

Experienced travelers are advised to pay attention to the reviews and choose a host not based on the beautiful photos but on the reviews of people who have already been there.

Read also: How to Cheat Tourists: 8 Fraud Schemes

It's best to send your request a month or a month and a half before your trip. If you do it a few days before your trip, the probability of refusal will be high. If you write three months in advance, the answers will be vague. Plans can change over that period of time.

You should not expect that a host will be happy to share a home with a stranger for more than a week. The optimal time to stay in someone else's home is 3 days. But the duration of your stay can always be discussed individually.

Some travelers are sure that not only free accommodation but also free Wi-Fi access will be available in a host’s home. In practice, this is not always the case. The best solution is to always have your own personal Internet.

High-speed internet provider Yesim with additional protection via VPN will make it unnecessary to buy a local SIM-card.

Pros and cons of Couchsurfing

Consider the pros and cons of couchsurfing - this will help prevent your excessive demands and show the real situation.

The pros are:

1. Cost savings. The most obvious and essential for many people. It is especially relevant when traveling to countries with expensive housing, such as European or Asian metropolitan areas. 2. A wide variety of locations. If you are not a fan of popular destinations and like places where tourists hardly ever show up, couchsurfing is what you need. 3. An opportunity to get to know the country from the inside. The standard tourist route with a guide will not give the effect of full immersion in a different reality. Walking with the locals will help you get to know the country. 4. Language practice. A great option for earning a foreign language for free with a native speaker. And this moment is important for both sides — both a host and a guest will be interested in communicating with a foreigner. 5. Intercultural exchange. Many hosts provide accommodation for tourists from several countries at the same time. Therefore, couchsurfing is a good option to spend time having fun and sharing experiences, music, and traditions. 6. New friends. Thanks to couchsurfing, true friendships are made that go far beyond the accommodation provided.

The cons are:

Safety. When traveling on your own, you should always be on the alert especially if you are staying with a stranger. You cannot be certain that the information posted by a host on the website is complete. It is recommended for women to travel in groups of 2–3 people. The need to adjust to the daily routine of a stranger. Whether you will have personal space or not will only become clear when you arrive at your destination. It may turn out that you were going to stay in a separate outhouse or a guest house, but you will have to live in the same room with the host and his family. There is no guarantee of cleanliness or comfort. Experienced couchsurfers are prepared for everything and initially do not expect much from the temporary accommodation provided to them. The real picture may differ from the photo on the website, and no one guarantees a daily cleaning.

Read also: What to Do if Your Phone Was Stolen on a Trip

How to use couchsurfing

The basic principles of working with the website are:

1. Fill in your profile. Provide as much information about yourself as possible; openness is welcome among couchsurfers. Describe yourself, your habits, interests, and values. 2. If you want, you can verify (confirm) your data. The service is paid; it costs $60, but it gives more opportunities to work with the online service. For example, a verified user can send an unlimited number of messages per week, while an unverified user can send no more than 10 messages. 3. Select the locality you are interested in and look for available hosts. 4. Analyze their profiles, personal information and references. The latter is especially important: you can't delete or edit hosts' reviews on this site. 5. Does everything fit? Send a request with specific information — dates of the trip, plans, and your expectations for it. Keep it short and to the point. Send requests to at least five people to be able to choose the best option. 6. Discuss all the nuances of your upcoming trip with your host.

Couchsurfing is a paradise for extroverts because it gives them a great opportunity to have live communication with new people in a new country.

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